The Rocky Mountain Showdown has had its fair share of drama, but this year's edition took things to the next level.
In what was expected to be a bitter rivalry centred on the Sanders family, things reached a boiling point when Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Nobody could have expected how personal things would get as fans crowded the stadium for the legendary matchup's 69th edition.
What began as a football game swiftly turned into a grudge war, with one player starting the fire.
It wasn't a hard-fought score or a game-changing sack that thrust Fowler-Nicolosi into the spotlight.
Instead, his mouth, both before and throughout the game, prepared him for a difficult night on the pitch.
The Rams' quarterback dropped shade at the Buffaloes earlier this week, allegedly dismissing their abilities by saying, "We'll see how far their Instagram followers get them."
As kickoff neared, Colorado was prepared to back up their talent, and they made sure Fowler-Nicolosi knew it from the start.